Electric lamp socket



y 1934. B. c. PERKINS 1,959,249

ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET Filed Jan. '31; 1929 INVENTO? BENJAMIN C. PERKINS" f 722's ail-02 3263)? Y Patented May 15, 1934 UNETE STATES ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET necticut Application January 31, 1929, Serial No. 336,527

2 Claims.

In the past lamp sockets have been made with a large number of parts and many attempts have been made to lower the cost of their construction and reduce the number of parts necessary to make a complete socket. These attempts have resulted in reducing the number of parts required to some extent but these prior art devices still embody a large number of parts and it is one 7 object of this invention to further reduce the 0 number of parts to such an extent that the amount of material and expense in making such a socket will be more materially reduced.

Another object of this invention is to make a socket of non-frangible materials in order to reduce breakage of parts in assembling the socket and in careless handling thereof during the installation of the socket in an electric circuit.

Another object of this invention is to produce a socket in which the parts are permanently and securely fastened together in the process of manufacture and in this way to reduce the number of operations necessary when the socket is installed in an electric circuit or electric device.

Another object of this invention is to produce a socket and switch combination which may be more easily operated than sockets in the past.

Other objects will appear as the invention is described more particularly in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which;

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of my improved socket with the socket casing shown in dotted line.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the interior of the socket shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a top sectional pian View of the invention taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a bottom sectional plan view of th invention taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view oi the invention showing the details and the co -operation of some of the main parts of the socket.

Referring now to the drawing it will be noted that my socket may be housed in a socket casing 1 of any common type, The socket is formed of two substantially circular insulating plates or discs 3 and 5 spaced apart by wire terminals 7 and 9 and chain guide support 10 located upon and spaced around the peripheries of the discs.

The wire terminal 7 is substantially or" rectan gular shape having a screw threaded aperture at its center to receive a screw 12 by means of which a lead wire may be secured to the terminal. The top of the terminal has a longitudinally extending tongue 13 formed thereon to 5 fit in a suitable slot 14 in the top insulating disc 3. The bottom of the terminal 7 has a slot formed therein through which projects a tongue 16 formed on the lower insulating disc 5 by cutting away portions of the disc 5 at the periphery of the disc adjacent the place where the tongue is to be formed. To co-operate with a movable switch contact as will be described hereinafter, the terminal '7 has extending from one side thereof a switch contact finger 18 which has its middle portion bent to lie upon and parallel to the upper surface of the lower disc 5 and which has its end depressed into one of four curved concentric apertures 20, 21, 22, 23 formed in the lower disc.

The terminal 9 is formed similarly to terminal 7 in that it has an extending tongue 25 at its top and an aperture 26 in its bottom to co-operate respectively with a slot 28 in the top disc and a tongue 29 in the lower disc 5 in a manner identical to the co-operation of terminal '7 with these same discs 3 and 5. This terminal 9 also has a screw threaded aperture in its enter to receive a screw for securing a wire lead to the terminal.

The chain guide support 10 is formed in the same way as the wire terminal 9 and co-operates with the plates 3 and 5 in the same fashion as that terminal does and differs mainly therefrom in that its central aperture receives a common iunnnel shaped metal chain guide 30 which is secured therein by extruding the metal of the inner end of the guide over the edge aperture in the support 19.

A screw shell 32 is secured to the bottom of the disc 5 by means of a round domed center contact 34 having bent securing fingers 35 and 36 and a bent switch contact 37 all extending latterly therefrom at spaced points on the periphery of the contact.

These bent fingers register with apertures 45, 46 in an insulating washer 40 which is located between the center contact 34 and the bottom of the screw shell 32. Apertures 55, 56 in the bottom of the screw shell 32 register with the apertures 45, 46 of the insulating washer 40 in order that the securing fingers 35 and 36 may project therethrough and at the same time through similarly shaped and similarly situated apertures 65, 66 located in the lower disc 5. The bent contact 37 extends through apertures 47, 57 and 22 which register with each other and are located in the insulating washer 40, bottom of the screw shell 32 and lower disc 5 respectively. To insulate the center contacts securing fingers and the switch contact 37 from the shell the apertures in the shell bottom through which the fingers and switch contact pass, are made large enough to preclude possibility of contact between them and the shell when the socket is assembled. To secure the center contact 34 insulating washer 40, screw shell 32, and disc 5, in assembled relation, the ends of the securing fingers 35 and 36 are bent over after being threaded through their apertures and likewise the end or the switch contact 37, after being threaded through its apertures, is bent to lie over the edge of lower disc aperture 22.

It will be noted that by the construction thus far described the switch contact 18 projects down into aperture 20 while switch contact 37 projects up through aperture 22. These apertures, it will be noted, lie on opposite sides of a circular aperture located in the midst of the curved apertures 20, 21, 22 and 23.

To electrically connect the terminal 9 with the screw shell a connecting lug 61 is struck down from the side of the screw shell 32 in such a way that it lies in the plane of the bottom of the screw shell. In assembling the socket the connecting lug 61 and bottom of the screw shell lie against the bottom of the disc 5 so that the lug may project into the aperture 26 of the terminal 9 and make contact therewith. The lower discs tongue 29, which also projects into the aperture 26, holds the lug 61 in close contact with the terminal.

When it is desired that current should pass through the socket, a bridging member 70 located on a spindle I1 lying parallel to the axis of the socket but eccentric thereto so that the lower end of the spindle is located in the aperture 60 of the lower disc, while the upper end of the spindle is located in an aperture 73 in the upper disc 3 directly above the aperture 60. Due to the eccentric location or" the switch spindle the chain '75, which is connected to the switch contact actuator for movement of the bridging member, may be led out through the chain guide in a straight line. The switch mechanism is similar to that shown and described in the copending application of H. T. Paiste, Serial No. 315,532 filed October 27th, 1928, and since this mechanism per se forms no part of this invention it need not be further described.

In connection with the insulating washer 40 it will be noted that, if desired, extended segments 80, 81 may be formed on the periphery of the washer. The segment 80 may be wide and apertured to provide an extra bearing for the lower end of the switch spindle. The segment 81 may be the width of the connecting lug 61 and may lie on it to hold it flat against the tongue 29 of the insulating washer 40 and center contact 34 held together by bending the securing fingers 35, 36, then the ends of the tongues on the chain guide support 10 and wire terminals '7, 9 may be spread and the parts will be held securely and permanently together thereby.

The size of the casing and interior parts are so regulated in relation to one another that the assembled socket parts fit snugly against the insulating lining (not shown) which it is usual to use in electric lamp socket casings. In order that the usual lead wires may be led from the lead wire entrance 84 at the top of the casing to the terminals 7, 9, grooves 82, 83 are cut in the periphery of the upper disc 3 adjacent the wire terminals.

The current will thus be led by a lead wire from the source to terminal '7, through it and its integral switch contact 18 to the movable switch member 70, then through it to the stationary switch member 37 integral with center contact 34. After going through the electric lamp or other device the current will pass through the screw shell and out its integral connecting lug 61 to the terminal 9 and from thence by a lead wire connected thereto, to the source. It will be apparent that a socket constructed according to my invention will be much shorter than the sockets that have been in common use heretofore. Thus a saving of space and material is effected.

Many modifications and changes within the scope of my invention will occur to those skilled in the art. specific structure shown.

I claim:

1. An electric socket comprising screw shell and center contacts, a plurality of insulating discs, wire terminals having end portions gripping said discs and holding them in spaced relation, one of said terminals having a switch contact formed integral therewith, and a second switch contact which is formed integral with said center contact and holds together said shell and one of said discs.

2. An electric socket comprising screw shell and center contacts and a plurality of insulating discs, said center contact being insulated from said screw shell and having means formed integrally therewith for securing one of said discs to said screw shell and forming a switch contact, a plurality of metallic posts having end portions gripping and securing said discs in spaced relation, certain of said posts serving as wire terminals and one as a support for a switch operating member, one of said posts having a switch contact formed integrally therewith, in combination with switch mechanism for connecting said switch contacts.

BENJAMIN C. PERKINS.

Thus I do not limit myself to the, 

